Ye Lüquancang must die, for he stood in the way of her ascent to power.
Ye Lüjingliang must die, for only by infusing his lifeblood into the medicine could she attain longevity.
“Uncle, you never knew that Ning’er never needed to take my pulse.”
Ye Lühuangwu’s lips curled into a smile as she descended the tower. She had control over the city defenses and the palace guards. She could not use Liao assassins, as Ye Lüquancang could control most of the Ghostly Shadows, and Ye Lüjingliang had obtained the “Crane Army Secret Techniques”, intending to use Ning Yanli to mobilize the Crane Army families in the Song kingdom to assassinate Ye Lüquancang. She would simply turn the tables, and even if the plan was exposed or failed, she could extricate herself, at most being suspected by Ye Lüquancang.
The assassins in the courtyard gradually regained consciousness, their minds seemingly restored by the consciousness Ning Yanli had left behind. They took advantage of the changing of the guard to infiltrate the city.
Only a trace of blood and a faint medicinal scent remained at the city gates, the light breeze making it appear as if all had returned to calm.
In the morning, Chu Dingjiang dragged two people and dumped them in Mo Siguai’s courtyard.
Wei Yuizhi glanced at them. “The Physician has gone to the medicinal garden.”
“Please tell him these are the people he requested,” Chu Dingjiang said, his body bearing the chill of a sleepless night.
Wei Yuizhi examined the unconscious individuals closely. “These are…”
“Ask Mo Siguai,” Chu Dingjiang said, turning to leave.
“Master Chu has wielded his strategies most skillfully,” Wei Yuizhi remarked.
Chu Dingjiang remained silent. Wei Yuizhi’s intelligence was far sharper than he had anticipated, but it was of no consequence.
“Does Master Chu truly wish to live a mediocre life?” Wei Yuizhi asked.
Chu Dingjiang looked back. “You flatter me, I’m but a common man.”
“There’s no need for such self-deprecation,” Wei Yuizhi said. “I know the Liao dynasty best, and I’m most likely to see through your schemes, yet you calculated that I would still serve Wu Lingyan.”
With Mei’s family remaining in Hexi, the ultimate beneficiary was the Hexi County Magistrate, and as Wu Lingyan’s staff member, Wei Yuizhi would not expose this.
“I heard that Mei’s family obtained a portion of the ‘Crane Army Secret Techniques’ from you, so I wondered if you might have the other manuals as well. It wasn’t until the Crane Clan families were afflicted by the poison that I confirmed it.”
Chu Dingjiang had intentionally leaked the “Crane Army Secret Techniques” to Ye Lüjingliang, rather than Ye Lüquancang or Ye Lühuangwu. Of the three, Ye Lüjingliang had already fallen from power, and with this newfound strength combined with his already unstable military command, he was likely to resort to desperate measures.
Both harbored ambitions of usurping power, and once Ye Lüjingliang made a move, Ye Lühuangwu would likely turn the tables to her advantage. As for who the ultimate victor would be, that was beyond Chu Dingjiang’s consideration.
“A Jiu wanted to raise an army, and I just wanted to get her some people. Incidentally, it also buys her some time to organize her defenses.”
Wei Yuizhi didn’t believe Chu Dingjiang was doing all this solely for An Jiu’s sake.
In truth, Chu Dingjiang’s primary aim was not to sow discord in Liao, but rather he simply couldn’t bear to ignore certain things he had witnessed.
“You knew I would serve Wu Lingyan. Why?” Wei Yuizhi asked.
Chu Dingjiang smiled. “Wei Sir is exceptionally clever, but his true intentions are not so difficult to discern.”
A complex yet simple person. Chu Dingjiang might not be able to fathom all of Wei Yuizhi’s schemes, but he could see that in matters of the heart, Wei Yuizhi was quite straightforward, and his choice of which country or person to serve was ultimately a decision based on his emotions.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave,” Chu Dingjiang said.
“One last question – what did you see last night when you captured those two?” Wei Yuizhi asked.